Griffin is founding director of the J. Max Bond Center on Design for the Just City at the Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York, dedicated to the advancement of design practice, education, research and advocacy in ways that build and sustain resilient and just communities, cities and regions.

Griffin also maintains an active private practice, Urban Planning and Design for the American City, and recently led the Detroit Future City project, which completed and released Detroit Future City, a comprehensive citywide framework plan for urban transformation.

Griffin has held several public sector positions including, Director of Community Development for Newark, New Jersey; Vice President and Director of Design for the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation in Washington, DC; and Deputy Director for Revitalization and Neighborhood Planning for the DC Office of Planning. She began her career as an architect with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP in Chicago, where she became an associate partner.